By Erik Gudris | Monday, May 5, 2014

Last week was a quiet reprieve before the bulk of top players reappeared for competition in Madrid. That allowed two Russian stars, one former and one still current, to earn most of the headlines in an unexpected yet fitting symmetry.

WTA: Former No. 1 Safina Announces Retirement

The news that former World No. 1 Dinara Safina plans to announce her official retirement from tennis in Madrid this week didn't come as a total surprise. Safina competed in her last pro match three years ago and since then has focused on academic studies and splitting time between New York and Moscow. Safina was never the same after breaking vertebrae in Melbourne back in 2010. Despite several comeback attempts, she could never reach the same heights during her reign as the WTA's top player.

Not that her time as No. 1 was easy. Safina endured withering criticism for not having won a Grand Slam despite achieving the sport's top ranking. That pushed her, some would say punished her too, in trying to win an elusive major. None more so than in 2009 when she reached the French Open final.

Waiting for her there was another Russian standout in Svetlana Kuznetsova. Though Safina was considered the favorite, the immense pressure on her proved too much. Who could forget Safina serving one more tight and wayward double fault when down match point that handed Kuznetsova her own second major title? Kuznetsova, aware of the mental turmoil her opponent felt across the net, could only enjoy a muted celebration of her achievement out of respect for her fellow countrywoman.

That day proved to be Safina's last major final, and so far, also for Kuznetsova. Since raising the trophy in Paris, Kuznetsova started a slow descent first out of the top 10, then the top 20 and then almost out of the top 100. Injury forced her to take a break in 2012 but she managed to climb back into the top 30 last year. But Kuznetsova is starting to show some of the winning form she displayed five years ago and that's made a lot of tennis watchers happy. Not only because when "Sveta" plays at her very best, she is a pleasure to watch, but also because she's viewed as an underachiever despite all of her tremendous gifts.

Many feel Kuznetsova should have reached No. 1 and won way more majors than just the one in Paris and the one in New York. Yes, Serena Williams has had a lot to do with that, but Kuznetsova's inability to close out tight matches has long been her weak spot. Unfortunately for her, the mental frailty that became a trademark of her game returned last week. She reached the Portugal Open final and lead Carla Suarez Navarro by a double break in the third set before surrendering her advantage and the title to the Spaniard.

While Kuznetsova's head has been her own worst enemy, at least she never seems to doubt her own abilities. That often seemed the case with Safina despite all of her talent. Part of that lingering, palpable doubt was probably due to the pressure she placed on herself. Not only to win that elusive major but also to try answer all of those critics that derided how she was able to be No. 1 in the first place.

Then there was the fact she was always in the shadow of her older brother and also a No. 1 in Marat Safin. While Safina tried to forge her own identity, there were always those that found it easier to compare her to her brother and decide she wasn't good enough. An unfair comparison, but unfortunately one Safina had to deal with. Being in the "family business" is often its own burden. Perhaps that's why Kuznetsova never felt that familial pressure simply because she chose long ago not to be in her own family's sport of competitive cycling.

It's hard to believe that five years ago both Kuznetsova and Safina were the most in-form players heading into Paris. That final was by no means a classic, but it continues to define both of their careers and probably will years from now. Both remained linked, not only because they share the same country, but also because of that fateful day at Roland Garros. Kuznetsova kept her cool while Safina did not and that's why one can still enjoy knowing that she is forever a champion of Paris while the other can only wonder what it must feel like.

Safina's tennis career is now officially over and one can only wish her the best in the next chapter of her life. While Safina, and her fans, will still wonder "what might have been", Kuznetsova still has the opportunity, at least for now, to answer that question with a more hopeful response in "what might be."